Concubine Yang held the drumstick high in her right hand and continued to beat the Dengwen drum in front of her.

So resolute, so sad.

Compared with the petite woman, the big red drum looked huge and heavy, making the woman look even more fragile.

People tend to sympathize with the weak. Seeing this scene, the onlookers behind felt even more sympathetic towards Concubine Yang.

One by one, they said that Gu Jin was unfilial to his stepmother and accused the Queen of favoritism. They also felt sorry for Concubine Yang, who should have been an old noble enjoying her old age, but was bullied by the younger generation.

The private conversations of the onlookers also reached the ears of Gu Jue and Shen Qianchen in the back. Both of them wore magpie masks on their faces, and their eyes revealed from behind the masks were full of smiles.

Shen Qianchen stood on tiptoe, leaned close to Gu Jue's ear, and whispered in his ear: "This is really interesting."

Gu Jue then leaned over to her ear and whispered, "It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early."

If they had come back later, they would have missed this great show.

The two of them had almost finished watching Concubine Yang sing this part of the play, and then they walked out of the crowd hand in hand, heading towards the Meridian Gate.

Since the drum has been struck here, it must be reported to the heavens.

No one noticed that Gu Jue and Shen Qianchen came and went, and everyone's attention was on Concubine Yang.

The judge's headache became worse, and he kindly advised: "Empress Dowager Yang, beating the drum will result in thirty strokes of the cane."

He was reminding Concubine Yang with good intentions. If she left now, it would still be in time. He could turn a blind eye and spare her the punishment of thirty strokes of the cane in the court.

Of course, Concubine Yang understood the other party's implication, but she had no intention of leaving.

She was also afraid of being caned thirty times, but she felt that she had every reason to come and report the incident. There were so many eyes watching how the situation developed, and the new emperor would not hit her for the sake of his reputation.

Concubine Yang put on a righteous posture, looked directly into the judge's eyes, and said sternly: "You don't need to persuade me. I want to see the emperor. I can't watch the emperor being deceived by the traitors."

She did not accuse the emperor of partiality, but only directed her criticism at Gu Jin and Shen Qianchen.

The common people and students couldn't bear it either. Even a strong man couldn't stand thirty strokes of the cane, let alone Concubine Yang, who was just a weak woman and looked like she had to gasp for breath after taking a few steps.

Amid the uproar, Li Juren said to the other students with righteous indignation: "It is really unfair that the victim wants to seek justice but has to be beaten with a stick in the court!"

"My dear brothers, the Concubine is willing to take risks and fight hard to seek justice. Such spirit is admirable. Since we are here today, we cannot let such an unfair thing happen."

"I have a suggestion. How about we jointly guarantee the Toffee?"

After he said this, several people were touched and nodded, moved by Concubine Yang's determination to never give in.

Amid the voices of approval, some people also raised doubts: "Brother Li, listening to both sides will lead to enlightenment, while only believing one side will lead to ignorance. Right now, this is just the one-sided statement of the Concubine Dowager. It is hard to say who is right and who is wrong."

The one who spoke was Xuan Juren, and the other square-faced Juren beside him also echoed: "Brother Xuan is right. The division of the royal family should have been witnessed by the clan leader and other royal relatives. The queen favored her uncle, so what about the other royal relatives?"

"Joint guarantee is by no means a trivial matter, so we should be cautious..."

As these candidates talked, they started arguing again. Some supported the joint guarantee, some mocked Xuan Juren for being afraid of trouble, and some were hesitant.

Before they could come to a conclusion, Pei Linye arrived at the right gate of Chang'an with several Jinyiwei.

"Concubine Dowager, the Emperor invites you." Pei Linye stretched out his hand to Concubine Dowager Yang as if to invite her.

Upon hearing this, Concubine Yang was overjoyed and finally put down the drumstick in her hand, held her head high and said, "Let's go!" She suppressed the joy in her heart and told herself that this was just the first step.

After two cups of tea, Concubine Yang was brought out of the Huagai Palace by Pei Linye.

Pei Linye went into the hall to pass on the message and asked her to wait outside.

This wait lasted for a full half hour, until Concubine Yang's feet were numb and she was exhausted.

When Concubine Yang was almost wondering if Gu Jue was playing a trick on her, she saw the Minister of Justice, the Chief Justice, the Left Censor-in-Chief, and Prince Li hurried over here from the direction of the palace gate.

It was obvious that these four adults were summoned to the palace by Gu Jue on short notice.

The four officials were actually very angry. It was late at night and they finally had time to rest, but they were summoned to the palace. Who would be happy? Concubine Yang had just beaten the drum to file a complaint. According to the law, the emperor had to accept the case. Even the emperor was disturbed and couldn't rest. How could they, as ministers, complain?

The Minister of Justice, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the Left Censor-in-Chief represented the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, and the Procuratorate respectively. Their presence meant that not only would the emperor personally conduct the trial, but it would also be a joint trial by the three courts.

Concubine Yang secretly breathed a sigh of relief: it would be best to have these three adults present as witnesses, as it would be more beneficial to her.

Immediately afterwards, Concubine Yang, Prince Li, the Minister of Justice and others entered the main hall of the Huagai Palace. Lanterns were lit in the hall, making the inside as bright as day.

Gu Jue and Shen Qianchen were sitting in the main seats right in front. They were still wearing the clothes they wore when they left the palace, except that they had taken off their masks.

"Greetings to His Majesty, His Majesty the Queen." Concubine Yang and four other people bowed to Gu Jue and his wife.

While bending her knees, Concubine Yang glanced at Gu Jue inconspicuously. Gu Jue was sitting leisurely on the gilded dragon chair, with his black hair casually half-tied behind his head and his eyes deep and cold.

When Concubine Yang accidentally met his eyes, she felt an inexplicable pressure in his condescending gaze. For a moment, the hairs on her spine stood up and her heart tightened.

You must not show your weakness at this time. Concubine Yang warned herself in her heart, and proudly straightened her neck, and looked at Shen Qianchen who was sitting next to Gu Jue. Hatred and disgust suddenly surged from the bottom of her heart.

The person Concubine Yang hates the most is Shen Qianchen.

In the past, before Shen Qianchen married Gu Jue, Gu Jin and Shen Wan had always been very "obedient". But ever since Shen Qianchen and Gu Jue got married, Gu Jin's family seemed to have found a backer and increasingly ignored her, their stepmother.

Concubine Yang clenched her well-maintained hands into fists, her nails pinching her palms, remembering how she went to Gu Jin to borrow money a few days ago but was driven out by Shen Wan.

She had never been kicked out like this in her life! Concubine Yang was ashamed, annoyed and resentful. She felt that Gu Jin and Shen Wan dared to treat her like this because they relied on the support of Queen Shen Qianchen! ! Humph, this Shen Wan is a hen that can't lay eggs. She can't even give birth to a son. How can a little girl from their family inherit 70% of the family business of the Prince's Mansion? All this money should have belonged to their grandson.

The more Concubine Yang thought about it, the more justified she felt, and secretly cursed Gu Jin for being despicable and shameless and taking advantage of others in distress.

Concubine Yang was holding back her anger and couldn't help but said in a sarcastic tone, "Why is the Queen here?"

Her words were almost a question from above.

It is true that Shen Qianchen should not have appeared in the Huagai Palace of the outer court. The other people present were also surprised, but no one was stupid enough to argue with the new emperor about it.

Shen Qianchen drank tea leisurely with a faint smile on her lips, elegant and calm, as if Concubine Yang did not even enter her eyes.

Concubine Yang wanted to say something, but the next moment, Gu Jue's cold but dignified voice came from the front: "Anyone who beats the drum will be beaten with thirty sticks."

Gu Jue waved his hand slightly, and two tall and mighty Jinyiwei entered the Huagai Palace and approached Concubine Yang aggressively.

Concubine Yang was so frightened that she almost took a step back. With a flickering look in her eyes, she blurted out, "Stop!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the judge came in hurriedly and walked to the side of Concubine Yang.

He held up a memorial with both hands and said, "Your Majesty, the candidates outside have just signed a petition, requesting that Concubine Yang be exempted from the caning. Here is the petition."

A middle-aged eunuch took the petition and presented it to Gu Jue.

Concubine Yang breathed a sigh of relief and her expression eased a little.

Gu Jue picked up the petition, glanced at it, and casually threw it on the table, then ordered calmly: "Drag him away and beat him."

Concubine Yang: “!!!”

Concubine Yang couldn't believe her ears, her eyes widened: "Why?!"

Why could Gu Jue completely ignore the petitions of the candidates? Wasn't he afraid of offending the public? Shen Qianchen chuckled softly. Her laughter was not particularly loud, but in the empty and silent Huagai Palace at this moment, it seemed particularly clear, and even had the effect of lingering in the air for three days.

"It's just a petition? Your Highness, don't take it as the Queen Mother's decree?" Shen Qianchen said as she put down the teacup. Her movements were elegant and her manners were generous. There was a calmness in her look. She was obviously just a teenage girl, but she seemed to have experienced countless occasions like this.

Concubine Yang: “…”

Shen Qianchen said slowly: "What qualifications do the candidates have to shake the emperor's will?"

"If what they say is right, and the emperor accepts it, it is a petition. If what they say is wrong, it is just a piece of waste paper."

"What does Toffee think?"

Concubine Yang was almost irritated to the point of vomiting blood by Shen Qianchen's arrogant attitude. Her throat was slightly sweet, and she stiffened her neck and said unconvincedly: "Does the emperor not care about public opinion? Aren't you afraid of losing the support of the people?!"

Shen Qianchen smiled sweetly and said lightly: "My Lady, the law is above everything else."

Gu Jue did not say anything, but looked at his little girl with a smile on his face. He liked her sharp-tongued look the most. She was so lively, which was how she should be at her age.

Concubine Yang was so angry that her face turned red. Things had come to this point and she could no longer back down.

She took a deep breath and continued confidently, "Empress, since you know that the law is above everything else, you should know that a country has its own laws and a family has its own rules. Rules and etiquette cannot be abolished."

"This is the outer court. The emperor is here. What qualifications does Your Majesty have to speak so arrogantly here?"

Her words were tantamount to rebuking Shen Qianchen for interfering in government affairs from the harem, and the Minister of Justice and others gasped when they heard it.

They couldn't help but look at the Emperor and Empress' expressions, but saw that Gu Jue didn't even raise an eyebrow, just drank his tea, as if he didn't hear anything at all.

Shen Qianchen didn't get angry but smiled instead. Her smile even deepened by three points. Her eyes narrowed slightly, like a gorgeous rose suddenly blooming.

Everyone knows that roses have thorns.

"If the Concubine can say it, why can't I?" Shen Qianchen asked back.

She didn't give Concubine Yang another chance to speak, and directly ordered: "Take him away, and beat him with 30 sticks first, then come back to talk."

Shen Qianchen was smiling, and Gu Jue was still smiling as well. From beginning to end, he looked at Shen Qianchen with doting eyes.

The Minister of Justice and others could not help but sigh in their hearts: The new emperor is too indulgent to the queen.

The two Jinyiwei grabbed Concubine Yang without any courtesy and dragged her out of the palace forcefully.

"Let me go! Let me go..." Concubine Yang struggled and shouted hysterically, but her strength was no match for the Jinyiwei and she was dragged out of the Huagai Palace in a few seconds.

The Dali Temple Minister thought about it and tried to plead for Concubine Yang: "Your Majesty, the Concubine of Prince Jing is also a member of the royal family. Is thirty strokes of the cane too severe? I'd better ask her what grievances she has suffered first."

The laws of the Great Qi Dynasty stipulated that anyone who beat the drum to report a petition should be caned 30 times in the court first. This was to prevent malicious petitions from unjustified people. As long as Concubine Yang could prove that she had a good reason, it would be reasonable for her to be exempted from the caning.

Gu Jue calmly repeated what Shen Qianchen had just said: "The law is above everything else."

Dali Temple: "..."

The corner of the Dali Temple's eye twitched. To be frank, whether the law or reason is more important is just a matter of words from the person in power.

Gu Jue curled his lower lip with a smile: "You are the Minister of Dali Temple, in charge of the trial of criminal cases, and one of the nine ministers. Your respect for the law is not as good as that of the Queen."

Dali Temple: "..."

Having said that, the Dali Temple Minister could only bow tactfully and say, "It is my fault for speaking out of turn. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your advice."

Since the new emperor wanted to teach Concubine Yang a lesson, they, as ministers, were powerless and could do nothing to persuade her.

Gu Jue looked down from his high throne at the Supreme Court Justice, the Minister of Justice, the Left Censor-in-Chief, and Prince Li. It was only at this moment that he really got to the point: "Since the Dowager Consort of Prince Jing has filed a complaint, I will naturally conduct a thorough trial and give her an explanation."

The Chief Justice of the Dali Temple praised "Your Majesty is wise" in a dry voice, and had a vague intuition in his heart that there would be more trouble tonight.

"Pei Linye," Gu Jue then instructed Pei Linye, "Ask the Royal Guards to go outside and call four candidates in to listen."

Pei Linye immediately took the order and left.

Next, the Huagai Hall became quiet.

Outside the palace, the night was as dark as water. All that could be heard was the sound of caning and the shrill screams of Concubine Yang, along with the dry voice of the Jinyiwei counting: "Three, four, five..."

The Dali Temple Minister and the other three officials remained silent. They just stood in a row with their heads bowed, waiting.

They often come into contact with prisoners in the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate, and are accustomed to caning and the like. However, in the dark night, hearing the woman's screams still makes people feel a little scared, as if a female ghost is coming to claim their lives.

The happiest people here were probably Gu Jue and Shen Qianchen. They were happily drinking tea and eating snacks, as if the screams outside were just the sound of stringed instruments to liven up the atmosphere.

"... twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two..."

"Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty."

When the count of thirty was finished, there was a dead silence outside the hall, and the night breeze occasionally blew into the brightly lit Huagai Hall.

The Dali Temple Minister almost doubted whether Concubine Yang had lost her life from those thirty lashes.

In this eerie silence, Pei Linye and several Jinyiwei brought four candidates into the hall.

These four people were different in age, appearance, temperament and clothing. They were also very unfamiliar with each other, as if they had never met each other before.

The four candidates stood in the center of the main hall and bowed to Gu Jue nervously, "Your Highness."

As a scholar, everyone dreams of passing the joint examination one day, entering the palace to take the palace examination, being named on the list of successful candidates, and having the opportunity to serve the court and the emperor.

But they never expected that their first time entering the palace and seeing the emperor would be under such circumstances. No one dared to look up at the new emperor sitting on the dragon throne, for fear that their behavior would be inappropriate.

"Stand up."

A cold and calm male voice sounded from the front. The young man's voice was very young and clear, with the calmness and firmness unique to those in a superior position.

Xuan Juren, who was standing on the far right, thought the voice sounded very familiar and was sure he had heard it somewhere before.

Yes, and it happened recently.

Mr. Xuan and the other three candidates stood up at the same time. The other three still lowered their heads and dared not look at Gu Jue. Only Mr. Xuan bravely glanced in Gu Jue's direction.

He had only intended to take a quick look, but when his eyes met an extraordinarily handsome face, he was stunned.

The young man who looked like a banished immortal looked very familiar, especially since Xuan Juren had just seen him an hour ago. He was still wearing the same green lotus-colored Hu clothing that he had worn in Mingfang Teahouse.

Furthermore, the young woman sitting next to the young man couldn't be wrong...

It's them! Xuan Juren's body trembled violently, first in shock, then in surprise.

The young couple he met in Mingfang Teahouse tonight turned out to be the emperor and empress! At this moment, he couldn't help but think of the words the young man said in the teahouse: "...Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened, but only believe in one side and you will be confused."

Boom! Boom! Boom! His heart beat faster and faster, as if it was about to jump out of his chest. All the feelings in his heart finally condensed into an emotion called reverence.

Suddenly, he had more confidence in the new emperor;

Suddenly, he understood why he was chosen by the Jinyiwei to appear here, even though he did not leave his name on the petition.

He clenched his teeth, knowing the consequences, so even though he recognized Gu Jue, he said nothing.

The change in Xuan Juren's expression in that brief moment did not escape Gu Jue's eyes, and Gu Jue nodded at him with a smile.

When the other candidates saw the emperor's face, they did not dare to speak freely.

Gu Jue played with the folding fan that Shen Qianchen had just given him as a gift today, and fanned it twice casually, then got straight to the point and said, "Just now, I saw the petition you submitted, and I know that you are petitioning for the Dowager Consort of Prince Jing, so I asked you to come and listen to the trial as well."

"The Great Qi Law states that anyone who beats the drum for the purpose of reporting to the emperor shall be punished with thirty strokes of the cane. You are all juren who have studied hard for many years and are well-educated. You must know this, right?"

“Laws are not necessarily reasonable and can be amended, but they cannot easily exempt lawbreakers, otherwise they will not serve as a warning to others.”

To put it bluntly, the law is to maintain order internally and to intimidate the world so that people dare not break the law. Only in this way can the country be stable.

Except for Xuan Juren, the other three candidates all left their names on the petition, and were very ashamed by what Gu Jue said. Indeed, if everyone came to beg for mercy and pardon after breaking the law, what would the law be for? !

One of the candidates, a man in his early forties with a gentle appearance, said boldly: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your guidance. I have benefited a lot from it and will definitely keep it in mind."

As they were talking, a tall Jinyiwei came in, followed by two eunuchs carrying a stretcher. The sick Concubine Yang was lying on the stretcher. Her hair was disheveled, her face was pale, her eyes were red, and her lips were trembling slightly.

She was like a withered flower that had been beaten by wind and rain and was about to fall from the branch.

Thirty blows from the stick were not light. Concubine Yang could not get up at all and lay powerlessly on the stretcher. When the stretcher fell to the ground, she gasped and her body trembled, as if she was injured.

The tall Jinyiwei clasped his fists towards Gu Jue and said, "Your Majesty, Concubine Yang has been caned thirty times in the court. The imperial physician has examined her and prescribed medicine."

There are two more 　　 　 chapters (end of this chapter)